Indiana men’s basketball has been a scoring machine all season long. The Hoosiers opened the season with three straight games of 98 or more points. The Cream and Crimson exploded for 100 points against Bethune-Cookman University on Nov. 29 and 113 points against Penn State on Dec. 9. Indiana’s 85.1 points per game rank sixth in the Big Ten.
However, the Hoosiers have often faced pressure late in games. When the shots are falling early, the Cream and Crimson haven’t always been able to string together enough positive plays to hold off resurgent opponents.
That wasn’t the case Sunday night.
Indiana held off multiple Washington bursts in the second half and continued to shoot efficiently down the stretch en route to a 90-80 victory over the Huskies inside Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
Both teams began the contest on fire. Indiana’s first five shot attempts were all made 3-pointers, while Washington also went 6 for 8 from the field in the first four minutes. The result was a 15-15 tie at the under-16 media timeout.
While Indiana is no stranger to high octane offense, Sunday’s fast start came from unlikely sources. Sixth-year senior guard Tayton Conerway knocked down three early longballs and redshirt senior guard Conor Enright drilled two 3-pointers of his own in the opening minutes.
The Cream and Crimson put up 52 points in the first half despite lacking production from their top scorers — fifth-year senior guard Lamar Wilkerson and redshirt senior forward Tucker DeVries. The duo combined for just 10 points in the first frame.
“We're a deep team,” Enright said postgame. “I think it was great for our confidence to show we got other guys that can step up. If they want to play like that, we're going to have other guys step up every night.”
Freshman forward Trent Sisley stepped up Sunday. The Santa Claus, Indiana, native hadn’t reached double-digit points since Indiana’s rout of Bethune-Cookman, but Sisley scored 10 straight points for the Hoosiers in the second half across a just over two-minute span in the second half.
During the stretch, Sisley drained two 3-pointers, something he hadn’t done in a game since Indiana’s narrow victory over the University of the Incarnate Word on Nov. 16. Sisley’s offensive production was particularly notable in the presence of Washington sophomore forward Bryson Tucker, who was Indiana’s last major recruit ahead of the 2024-25 season before transferring after his freshman season.
“It was awesome,” Enright said of Sisley’s spurt. “We were all loving it in the locker room after the game. Being a freshman, having that impact in a Big Ten game this early in the season is really cool. I'm proud of him.”
As the Hoosiers’ offense continued to strike, the Huskies didn’t go away quietly. Similar to matchups against Minnesota on Dec. 3 and the University of Kentucky on Dec. 13, Indiana was challenged by Washington runs throughout the second half. But this time, the Cream and Crimson didn't yield.
Indiana head coach Darian DeVries thought the Hoosiers “prepared well” amid their extended 13-day break from action over the holidays. Their readiness was exemplified by the well-rounded performance against the Huskies.
Against Kentucky, Indiana turned the ball over 18 times. Against Minnesota, the Hoosiers were outrebounded 40-25. But against Washington, the Cream and Crimson posted a season low four turnovers and outrebounded the Huskies 33-29.
“Those are the type of things you just learn every time you go out there,” Darian DeVries said. “I thought the guys did a really good job of managing the game down the stretch there. I don't think we had any turnovers in those last three or four minutes. For the most part we stepped up, knocked down our free throws.”
With the nonconference schedule behind them, the Hoosiers have only Big Ten contests left. Seven Big Ten teams were ranked in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, upping the stakes of many of Indiana’s upcoming matchups. The Cream and Crimson will face Maryland on the road Wednesday before returning home to take on No. 13 Nebraska on Saturday.
“Every night, it's a rock fight,” Darian DeVries said. “Now it's about going out and doing it.”
Follow reporters Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and Nathan Shriberg (@NShriberg and naashri@iu.edu) and columnist Kasey Watkins (@KaseyWatki8773 and kaslwatk@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana men’s basketball season.
